Choosing a Safe Infant Car Seat -

Details for Choosing a Safe Infant Car Seat

ID:	12987
Author:	tomselwick09
Title:	Choosing a Safe Infant Car Seat
Article:	One of the things that you should select with the most care and consideration for your newborn is his or her car seat. This car seat will be responsible for protecting him or her during a car crash in other instances as well. Very young children are often left in the car seat for their protection in other areas as well. One mother was glad that she had chosen a good car seat for her child when she set him on a table and the table collapsed. You will want to make sure that that carrier you select is up to date on the current safety standards and that it will fit your needs for transporting your baby safely to a variety of places. Another thing you may want to consider is how comfortable it will be as your child will probably end up taking numerous naps in this location. Today, there are many different styles, designs, and prices. You will want to make sure that you compare all of these things so that you choose the one that is best for you, your baby and your car. The first thing you will want to make sure you look for is a five point harness or seat belt. In the past, the three point harness was quite popular. As a result, you may see many older versions with a three point harness. However, the five point harness has proven to be much safer and much harder for the child to climb out of when he or she grows older and does not want to be strapped down anymore. The five point harness includes straps that go over the hips of your infant. These will hold him or her more securely and it will put less pressure on the other points. The five point harness has proven to be significantly more secure in side swipe crashes. The second thing that you will want to check out is the weight and height limits for the seat. You do not want your child to grow out of the infant seat before he or she is ready for a toddler seat, or you will have to purchase another transitory seat. Most versions will safely hold a child up to twenty pounds in size, but others will hold children that are even a little bigger. This means that you will be able to use is much longer. Unfortunately, weight is not the only thing that plays a role in whether or not an infant is safe. Your infant will also grow taller and when his or her head reaches a point that is one inch away from the top edge, it is time to graduate to a larger seat. However, it is quite normal for the feet to hang off the bottom edge. The third thing you will want to look for is anti-rebounding features. Most infant carriers are designed with the intent that it will ride down the force of the crash by allowing the top to rotate downward and back up. In extremely severe cases, when the infant carrier comes back up it may hit the seat-back. As a result, it is best to find a carrier that has an anti-rebound bar on the base that will help prevent this from happening. This anti-rebound bar is not a safety requirement, so it is something that you will have to look for if you think you will want it. Most seats are deep enough that only the plastic will hit the back and the baby will remain protected within. The fourth thing you will definitely want to look for is a base that can stay in the car. This will make the carrier much easier to remove and install in the car. If you have several cars that you will be using on a regular basis, then you may want to consider finding out how much extra bases will be. Of course, some carriers can be used in a car safely without a base. However, it is usually much more of a hassle to secure every time you need to go somewhere. Still, it is a nice feature to have if you find that you must get a ride in a different vehicle than you planned and the appropriate base is not available. In addition, carriers that are installed without a base are generally less stable and they are usually more prone to sliding around. The fifth thing you will want to check is the harness adjustment. You will want the harness adjustment to be ease to adjust and to reach. This will make it much easier to securely fasten the baby according to the clothes he or she is wearing and how large he or she is becoming. About the author of this article: tom selwick is a public safety representative for 25 years and has authored hundreds of articles relating to public safety and barricades . he has worked in public safety for years promoting safe transportation practices. contact info: tom selwick tomselwick09@gmail.com http://www.interwestsafety.com
Category:	Home: Family
Date:	May 14, 2011 04:03:02 PM

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